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Do I pay for the address only through the mail forwarding setup or is there an additonal monthly fee?
You do have to be an Escapees member which has an annual fee and a mail service member which has an annual fee and a postage deposite. The annual fee can vary by the level of service you want. I have used the lowest fee since I joined in March 1997. There is no set monthly fee just what postage is used to forward your mail. If you are a veteran be sure to tell them when you join. Some things we get a discount for but I don't recall what all it applies to. Call the office at Livingston to get the straight scoop.
One other thing just occurred to me is that CO has become one of the more aggressive states about vehicles that are kept in the state having their license plates so changing before you actually leave could have some degree of risk.
I think I'm trying to figure out what I have to do. Ideally I would want to register it as a RV but I did not know if that was possible. So I can just do this when I move from CO where it's registered as a cargo trailer and change it to RV when I register in TX or wherever? That would be great. What does that process cost? Do I pay for the address only through the mail forwarding setup or is there an additonal monthly fee?
I don't know the process of changing the title of a commercial trailer to an RV. However, plenty of people on the HDT section of this forum have gone through the process of changing the title of a commercial truck to an RV. If you start a new topic in the HDT section and ask for help in how to change your trailer, they will most likely be happy to help. You might start off your topic with something like "I know this not exactly a HDT topic but I hear this area has lots of experience in titling a vehicle as an RV".
As others have stated, to be an RV, it has to have living quarters type amenities, such as toilet, cooking, drinking water and sleeping.
As others have stated, to be an RV, it has to have living quarters type amenities, such as toilet, cooking, drinking water and sleeping.
And the amenities have to be permanently installed not just sitting in there.
Linda
Here's another way for you to consider. Use your sister home residence as your domicile. Have your drivers license under that address, vehicle & insurance too. I would think that insurance in Dallas would be less expense compared to the Houston area where Livingston is. Join Escapees and setup a mail account ($95.00 per year, plus postage). Have all your other mail transferred to that address. Like credit cards, Medicare, health insurance, etc. But leave your vehicle & insurance at your sisters residence. As far as voting, you can vote absente. Setup a bank account in the Dallas area near your sisters house. Get a debit card, and check account too. Also have your S.S. Check deposited into that account.
As far as your vehicle go, you can regrister be mail or online. As far as inspections go when your out of state, fill out an self certified document stating your vehicle is out of state (Texas,gov web site.) As far as medical insurance goes, if you already have medicare your good. Might want to think about going with Mutual of Omaha plan "J or G" on the supplemental part. It's good everywhere.
Get the trailer re-titled as an RV, and if it's under 3,000 lbs no inf it's over 3,000 lbs it'll require brakes.
Now after all that, "HIT THE ROAD". and enjoy yourself. Just remember to slow down, your not on vacation.
If you register vehicles in Dallas, if gas powered they require emissions testing when you are in the area. Dallas-Fort Worth metro area is as expensive as Houston for insurance, etc. If you register in DFW area you are subject to jury duty there - not the convenient people like in Livingston where we just call and let them know we are out-of-state and they say "no problem, give us a call when you are in the area".
Livingston, is well beyond the Houston Metro area, so should not be affected by Houston auto insurance rates. Also Livingston doesn't have the auto emissions testing required by either Dallas or Houston.
I would start by finding our what Texas requires to make a vehicle into an RV. In Minnesota I'm not sure what applies to a trailer but for a motorhome the statute says: A motor home must contain permanently installed, independent, life-support systems that meet the American National Standards Institute standard number A119.2 for recreational vehicles and provide at least four of the following facilities, two of which must be from the systems listed in clauses (1), (5), and (6): (1) a cooking facility with liquid propane gas supply, (2) a refrigerator, (3) a self-contained toilet or a toilet connected to a plumbing system with a connection for external water disposal, (4) a heating or air conditioning system separate from the motor vehicle engine, (5) a potable water supply system including a sink with a faucet either self-contained or with connections for an external source, and (6) a separate 110-125 volts electrical power supply.
It will have all that so that's good. We didn't want to skimp on it being an RV, just wanted a dual axle that wasn't too long, too tall and we could see around. I put up a YouTube vid on it under our Roadtrips AndCampfires channel - it is far from done but we have till spring to finish it.
I wanted to reply to all. Thank you for the info. That sounds good, we will come stay a month at Livingston and get settled and official. Sis and niece already have trip to Alabama camping planned when we get here so we can come and go in our rented space before taking off for our first trek after that. I'll check out that forum mentioned and learn more.
Would you provide a link to your " Roadtrips AndCampfires ". I did a search on YouTube and came up with several hits, but not much of it made sense as far as finding your video.
I have no experience with YouTube, other than going to links that people post.
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